Truth or Dare
by skullprincess120
Summary: Troy and Gabriella hate each other, but, the rest of the gang are good friends. What happens when Troy finds out a secret about Gabriella that no one else knows? Will he tell everyone and hurt her? Or will he protect her? Read to find out!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – How Troy and Gabriella usually treat each other.

Troy Bolton stepped onto the bus on Friday morning to find it completely full. He spotted one empty seat next to Gabriella Montez – the one and only person he hated. He looked for his best friend Chad Danforth, but, he was sitting with his girlfriend Taylor McKessie. Troy studied the people on the bus and realized that almost everyone was a couple. Zeke Baylor was with Sharpay Evans. Jason Cross and Kelsi Nielsen were dating and Ryan Evans – Sharpay's twin brother – was dating Martha Cox.

"Hey, kid!" the bus driver called to Troy and Troy frowned. He hated being called a 'kid'. "Take a seat."

Cursing the bus driver under his breath, Troy took the last seat available on the bus, which was unfortunately next to Gabriella.

"Montez," Troy said, through gritted teeth.

"Bolton," Gabriella muttered.

They both glared at each other and turned away. Then, Troy tried to make a conversation.

"So, it looks like everyone's hooked up, right?" he said.

"Yeah," Gabriella replied, shortly.

"Maybe we should, too," Troy joked.

"Why would I want to hook up with a jerk like you?" Gabriella asked and faced the window.

Troy glared at her and looked away. Then, he pulled out his PSP and started playing.

"You know that thing isn't allowed in the school, Bolton," Gabriella said, looking at him.

"Who asked you, Montez?" Troy shot back, but he put his PSP into his bag when they arrived at the school.

Troy and Gabriella ignored each other for the rest of the day. This was what they usually did each and everyday. Of course, if they could get their own ways, they would be strangling each other, but, the rest of the gang had ordered them not to do anything to hurt each other. Troy had rolled his eyes at the gang at that time and said that he would never touch Gabriella in way that it would hurt her because she was a girl, but, nowadays he felt like strangling her. The guys had also made Troy promise that he would look out for Gabriella. The guys were to look out for the girls. Troy had assured them that he would not let anything happen to Gabriella unless he could help it even though he hated her. No one knew the reason why Troy and Gabriella hated each other so much, except them.

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**A/N So, what'd you think? Should I continue? It's only going to be five chapters. So, let me know, if you like it by reviewing. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – Lucas and a movie**

It was the last period for the day and Troy had a free period. He was supposed to go to the library, but, at that moment, he was at his locker, putting his books inside. Then, he heard Gabriella scream and turned to see Gabriella a little way away from him, pressed up against a locker by the football captain, Lucas Scott.

"No!" Gabriella screamed as Lucas tried to kiss her. "Leave me alone!"

Rage boiled up inside him as Troy walked towards Lucas. He pushed him off Gabriella.

"What the…" Lucas muttered as he got onto his feet. Then, he saw Troy and went pale. Nobody messed with Troy unless they wanted to get a couple of bruises.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Troy thundered, red with anger.

"Nothing," Lucas said quickly as students began to gather around. "I was just…look, I'm sorry."

"You ought to be," Troy said, lowering his voice in case a teacher should come out. "Don't you dare so much as look at her or else you'll have _me_ to answer to!"

"Yeah, yeah, okay," Lucas nodded, hurriedly.

"Now, get out of my face!" Troy growled.

Lucas scurried away as quickly as a mouse. Troy glared at the group of students and they hurried away to their classes. He was about to walk away when he heard a soft whimper and then he realized that Gabriella might not be okay after an encounter like that. He turned and saw Gabriella sitting on the floor, crying softly. He knelt down next to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her gently.

"My hand," Gabriella whispered.

Then, Troy noticed that Gabriella was clutching her left wrist. Slowly he reached out and took her hand in hers. He noticed that she winced when he touched her. He waited for her to pull her hand away, but, she did not, so, he took a look at her wrist and was shocked to see that it was swollen and red. Lucas must have been holding her hand really tightly. Troy wanted to kill Lucas at that moment, but, he was not sure why.

"Do you want me to take you home? We've only got a few more minutes," Troy said.

Gabriella nodded gratefully. Troy got up and reached out to help Gabriella up. She jumped when he touched her and Troy was a bit surprised. He figured that she must be shaken up after the incident with Lucas. He let go of her when she got up, but, she stumbled and nearly fell over, but, Troy caught her before she hit the ground. She cried silently as she clung onto Troy. Troy was surprised, but, he did not show it. He lifted her up with an arm under her legs and the other under her back. She held onto him tightly as he carried her out to his car. Troy sent a text message to Jack Bolton – his father and coach – explaining what had happened and that he was getting out of school early. Then, he drove Gabriella home.

"Gabriella, are you going to be okay?" Troy asked. "Where's your mom?"

"She's at work," Gabriella replied as Troy drove up to the Montez house. "She comes home at about midnight."

Gabriella had stopped crying but, she was still shaking. Troy knew that she should not be left alone at that moment so he got out of the car. Then, he helped her out and followed her into the house. Gabriella's eyes widened when she saw Troy closing the front door behind him.

"What are you doing?" she shrieked.

"Gabriella, calm down," Troy said, holding up his hands. "I'm just going to hang around here until your mom gets back."

"Oh," Gabriella said.

The two stood there in an awkward silence which was broken by Troy.

"So, can I get you a drink or something?" he asked. "I know it's your house, but, you're a bit shaken up, so…"

"A drink sounds great," Gabriella replied and she walked into the kitchen followed by Troy.

Troy got two glasses of milk and gave one to Gabriella. They sat down across each other sipping at their milk slowly. Troy did not want to admit it, but, he was having an extremely hard time keeping his eyes off Gabriella. He had never noticed how beautiful she really was. There was an awkward silence between them.

"You knew Dylan Mathews, right?" Gabriella asked suddenly and Troy nodded slowly a bit surprised. "Do you know what happened to him?"

"No," Troy replied. "Maybe he moved or something…I don't know. I wish I did though." Dylan Mathews had disappeared from school a couple of months ago.

"He's in jail," Gabriella whispered.

"What?" Troy gasped. "What'd he do? I don't believe you."

Gabriella chose to ignore the last comment. "Did you know that he was a rapist?" she asked.

"No," Troy said, slowly. "You mean he…? Who?"

Gabriella did not answer. She focused on her drink, trying to stop the tears which were streaming down her face. Troy gazed at her in surprise as the answer came rushing to him. He understood the reason why Gabriella winced every time he touched her and the reason why Gabriella had screamed when he had shut the door.

"You?" he whispered.

Gabriella nodded, slowly. Troy stared at her for a minute before going around the table over to her. He hesitated before reaching out and pulling her into a hug. Gabriella winced at first, but, let Troy hold her.

"I won't hurt you, Ella," Troy whispered into her ear. "I promise."

Gabriella relaxed when she heard her new nickname by Troy. Then, she turned her head to look up at him.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"Just because I hated you doesn't mean I don't care about you, Gabriella," Troy replied.

They stared at each other for a moment and then, Troy found himself leaning towards Gabriella eager to capture her lips in his and Gabriella…Gabriella was not pulling away.

At that moment, Troy's cell phone rang and the two of them jumped apart. Troy blushed brightly. So did Gabriella. Their eyes met and they both turned away at the same time. Troy's cell phone rang again and he fumbled with it before answering. It was Chad. 

"Hello?" Troy said into the phone.

"Hey, man. Where are you?" Chad asked.

"I'm at Gabriella's house," Troy replied.

"What?" Chad sounded surprised. "What are you doing there?"

"Uh…Gabriella needed a ride," Troy lied. Well, it was not really lie. Gabriella had needed a ride at that time. Chad need not know the reason.

"School ended like a minute ago," Chad pointed out. "It's not normal unless _I _am the first one out."

"Oh, well, Gabriella and I both had free periods and my dad let us out early so…" Troy tried to explain.

"Yeah, whatever, dude," Chad replied. "As long as you two aren't making out, it's normal."

"Making out?" Troy asked, uneasily, glancing at Gabriella. "Uh…no, we aren't making out."

"So, anyway," Chad said. "The rest of us are planning on going to the movies. You and Gabriella want to come?"

"Movie?" Troy glanced at Gabriella who nodded. "Yeah, sure. We'll see you guys in a couple of minutes."

"Okay," Chad said. "Later, Troy."

"Yeah," Troy hung up the phone and turned to Gabriella. "Movies, huh? You sure you want to go?"

"Yeah," Gabriella nodded. "The others will get suspicious and I'll have to tell them."

"Right," Troy nodded, slowly. "So, let's go?"

"Yeah," Gabriella smiled, slowly.

"Gabriella?" Troy said. Then, he hesitated and stopped.

"Troy? What is it?" Gabriella asked.

"Why do you hate me so much?" he asked.

"Because, you always seem to hate me, and, because, I thought Dylan raped me because of you or something," Gabriella replied. 

"Oh," Troy did not know what to say. "I may have hated you, Gabriella, but, I never wanted to hurt you."

"Oh," Gabriella looked at Troy as they got into his car. "Thanks, I guess."

"No problem," Troy grinned a bit as he started driving.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Gabriella asked.

"I don't hate you," Troy said, quickly. "I mean, I did, but…"

"Okay," Gabriella said, slowly. "Why _did_ you hate me so much?"

"Because, Dylan got you," Troy shrugged.

"Huh?" Gabriella looked confused.

"Man, this is really embarrassing," Troy muttered. He stopped the car near the park and turned to Gabriella. "You see, I liked you Gabriella. The minute I saw you, I knew that you were the one for me, but, then, you and Dy started dating, and well, Dylan…he was my best friend, and…I don't know. I got jealous of Dylan. And then, I started hating him. I hated you because you chose him…over me!"

Gabriella gaped at him. The guy who she had thought that hated him was telling her that he had liked her.

"Look, Gabriella, you might not believe me, but, it's true!" Troy exclaimed. "And, right now, I know that I've got absolutely no chance with you, because, you obviously think that I wanted you to be raped or that I was part of it or…damn it! Gabs, I never want to hurt you. There were times when I wanted to fight with Dylan to get you."

"I wish you did," Gabriella whispered.

"Me, too," Troy sighed. "I'm sorry, Gabriella. Honestly, I am."

"But, for what exactly are you sorry for?" she asked.

"For whatever I have done to upset you," Troy replied. "And for everything Dylan did to you."

"Thank you," Gabriella smiled.

"You're welcome," Troy smiled back.

Troy started driving again. He kept his eyes on the road and did not glance at Gabriella even once, although, he could feel Gabriella's eyes on him.

"Troy?" Gabriella began uncertainly.

"What's up?" Troy asked still not looking at her.

"Do you still like me?" she asked.

"I don't know," Troy answered.

"Look at me!" Gabriella said frustrated.

"Why?" Troy asked.

This was the part of Troy that annoyed Gabriella and Troy knew it too.

Gabriella reached out and pulled at his ear forcing him to look at her.

"Ow! Gabriella," Troy groaned looking at her. "_What_?"

"I needed you to look at me," Gabriella replied and looked ahead and then screamed. "Troy! Look out!"

Troy looked ahead and saw a truck speeding towards them. He turned the wheel and swerved the car, avoiding the truck by inches. Gabriella had her hands over her eyes, obviously expecting to crash. Troy ignored her. He drove to the mall without another word.

As soon as they got to the mall, Troy got out of the car and slammed the door. He walked around it looking at it carefully to see if any damage had been done. Luckily none was there. Gabriella was staring at Troy, too.

"Troy, I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have pulled at your ear like that."

"Yeah, you shouldn't have," Troy muttered. Then he looked at Gabriella and yelled, "You almost got us killed, Montez! What were you thinking?"

"I don't know," Gabriella cried out. "Maybe we should just go back to the way things were between us before and forget all that has happened this afternoon." 

"Works with me," Troy said as the others worked over to them.

"What's going on?" Chad asked looking from Gabriella to Troy.

"Nothing," Gabriella and Troy answered in unison and then, they both glared at each other.

"Right," Chad rolled his eyes. "Troy, man? Can I talk to you for a second?"

"What's up?" Troy asked as they moved away from the gang.

"Be nice to her, alright," Chad said and before Troy could say a word he had walked away.

The gang was standing in line to buy tickets to the movie, when Gabriella realized that she didn't have her purse. 

"Guess I'm not watching a movie," Gabriella said. "I forgot to bring my purse."

"It's okay, Gabriella," Troy said, pulling out some more cash. "'I've got you covered."

"I can't let you do that," Gabriella protested as everyone else gaped at Troy.

"Come on, Gabriella," Troy said. "I'm being nice to you."

"The lunkhead basketball player is offering you some money, Gabs," Sharpay said. "Grab it girlfriend."

"I'll pay you back," Gabriella told Troy as she accepted the money and Troy shrugged.

The gang walked into the theatre and sat together. All the couples sat together leaving Troy and Gabriella together. It was really awkward for them as they had almost just kissed. None of them had watched the movie and no one knew what it was about. Troy realized that it was about a girl who was being raped a few minutes later. He glanced at Gabriella uneasily and saw that she was clutching the chair with her finger nails dug deep into it. It was clear that she was scared. Troy reached over and took her hand. Gabriella gasped and pulled it away quickly. Troy withdrew his hand, too. Gabriella realized that it was Troy and she relaxed. Troy noticed and took her hand and squeezed it letting her know that he was there for her. The girl in the movie screamed and Gabriella squeezed her eyes shut and pulled her hand from Troy's and used both hands to cover her face. Troy put his arm around her and pulled her close to him. She buried her head in his shirt and Troy realized that she was not just scared; she was terrified.

"Let's get out of here," Troy whispered to her and Gabriella nodded. He turned to Chad who was sitting next to him and whispered, "We'll see you guys after the movie."

Before Chad could say another word, Troy got up and pulled Gabriella up. He led her out of the theatre. When they got outside, Gabriella gave Troy a hug.

"Thank you," she said, softly.

"What for?" Troy asked, surprised. "I've done nothing but be mean to you."

"You weren't mean to me, today," Gabriella replied. "You've helped me a lot even if you don't know it. You are the first guy I've hugged since the rape, let alone allowed to touch me."

"Oh," Troy said. "Uh…you're welcome, Ella."

At that moment, Chad and the gang walked out.

"Why'd you guys come out?" he asked.

"The movie wasn't really for us," Troy replied.

"But, you love that kind of movies, Troy," Chad protested.

"Things change," Troy shrugged.

"Okay, then, where are you guys going?" Taylor asked.

"We were going to hang out here till the movie ended, but, since you guys are out of there…" Troy shrugged again. "What shall we do?"

"I need to get home," Gabriella said as she glanced at the text message that she had received from her mother. "My mom wants to see me. Can someone give me a ride?"

"I'll take you home, Gabs," Taylor offered.

"Why don't you guys all come over to my place?" Gabriella asked. "We can hang out. My mom won't need me for too long."

"Great idea!" Sharpay grinned.

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**A/N Another chapter. Hope you guys like it. R & R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – A game of Truth or Dare, a kiss and forgetting how much they hate each other.**

When the gang arrived at the Montez house, they saw Mrs. Montez flying out of the front door.

"Hi, Gabi," she said hurriedly. "I'm glad I caught you. I have to leave town for the weekend, alright? You'll be okay here, right? Invite your friends over if you want, but, not too many. Don't throw a wild party. This lot here's okay. I'll see you soon, Gabriella. I love you."

"Love you, too, mom," Gabriella said as she gave her mother a hug. "Have fun."

"You, too," Mrs. Montez smiled and she got into the cab that was waiting for her.

"We'll keep you company, Gabi," Kelsi offered.

"Thanks," Gabriella smiled.

The gang hung around in Gabriella's living room for a few minutes before Chad got bored.

"Let's play a game," he said. "Truth or dare! You go first, Kels. Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Kelsi said.

"Do you really like Jason?" Chad asked.

"What kind of a question is that?" Kelsi asked rolling her eyes. "Of course, I really, really like him."

"Chad!" Taylor scolded as Jason and Kelsi exchanged a smile. "You wasted a perfectly good question."

"My turn," Kelsi said. "Gabriella, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Gabriella smiled.

"Hmm," Kelsi said thoughtfully. "This has to be something good, then. You don't usually pick 'dare'. Okay, I got it! Kiss Troy!"

"WHAT?" Troy and Gabriella yelled.

"You heard me," Kelsi said. "Kiss Troy. On the lips. For at least thirty seconds."

"What?" Troy asked again as Gabriella scowled – she was trying to hide the fact that she was scared to kiss a guy after the rape – and everyone else cheered. "Why am I in this?"

"Just do it," Zeke said. "It wouldn't be a problem if the two of you don't have feelings for each other."

At Zeke's words, Troy and Gabriella's eyes met and looked away as quickly as they had met. Gabriella shrugged and moved closer to Troy.

"It's just a kiss," she whispered.

Troy could feel Gabriella's breath on his face. She was so close. Then, she pressed her lips against his softly. The rest of the gang began to countdown seconds. Gabriella kept kissing Troy and Troy found himself liking her kisses. He was about to kiss back when…

"Okay, Gabriella, you can stop," Chad said.

Gabriella pulled away immediately. Troy wiped his lips and glared at Kelsi angrily.

"I hate you, Kels," he grumbled, even though inside, he was really happy. He wanted Gabriella to kiss him again.

"My turn," Gabriella said. "Sharpay. Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Sharpay said.

"I dare you to where blue to school on Monday," Gabriella said.

"Okay," Sharpay said. "I'll have to go shopping tomorrow, then."

"You don't have anything blue?" Troy asked in disbelief.

"What's the big deal, Bolton?" Sharpay asked, "It's not like you have anything pink in your closet either."

"When did you go through my closet?" Troy asked.

"I didn't," Sharpay said, rolling her eyes at him. "It's an obvious fact."

"Oh, okay," Troy said.

"Anyway, Troy," Sharpay said. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Troy replied. 

"I dare you to go out with Gabriella, tonight," Sharpay said. "You must kiss her at the doorstep after the date is over. We'll all be waiting here to see if you do."

"Gabriella, will you go out with me?" Troy asked not even glancing at her.

"No!" Gabriella snapped and walked out of the room.

"Now, what do I have to do?" Troy asked as he watched her walk out.

"Get her to go out with you," Chad said. "And, you'll have to be with her at that new Thai restaurant by seven this evening."

"Okay," Troy said as he pulled himself to his feet, from his position on the carpet. "Gabriella!"

"What?" Gabriella asked as Troy walked into the kitchen. "I'm not going to go out with you."

"Why?" Troy asked.

"I don't know," Gabriella replied. "I don't want to."

"Why?" Troy asked again. "Because you don't want to be seen with me?"

"No, it's not that," Gabriella said.

"Then, what is it?" Troy asked. "Because I was mean to you?"

"No," Gabriella replied.

"Then, tell me, Ella," Troy said, softly, so that even if the others were at the door listening, they would not hear him. 

"Because, I'm not sure whether I'm ready to start dating again," Gabriella whispered.

"Gabi," Troy began. "You don't have to start dating again if you're not sure whether you're ready. This is just a dare. It's not a real date or anything. We can just go and have dinner as friends in that Thai place they were talking about."

"And, then, you're supposed to kiss me," Gabriella pointed out.

"That wouldn't be a problem, would it?" Troy asked. "I mean, you just kissed me."

"Yeah, but, _you_ didn't kiss me," Gabriella said. "_I_ kissed you."

"Okay," Troy said slowly. "The stupid kiss will only last one second. Or two. That's it."

"Okay," Gabriella said, slowly. "But, Troy?"

"Yeah," Troy looked at her. 

"Please, don't make any sudden moves or anything or –" 

"I won't, Ella," Troy interrupted her. "I promise."

"Thank you," Gabriella said, smiling a bit.

"I'll see you tonight," Troy said. "I'll be here to pick you up at a quarter to seven alright?"

"Okay," Gabriella said.

"Now, can you let me out through the back?" Troy asked. "I don't want to face them again."

"Sure," Gabriella said gesturing towards the back door and Troy opened the door. "Troy?"

"Yeah?" Troy asked turning to look at Gabriella again.

"I think, maybe I can like you," Gabriella smiled. "I might just forget how much I hate you."

"I already did," Troy smiled and winked at her before he walked out.

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**A/N Thank you sooo much for the reviews! I love you guys. Anyways, review! The next chapter will be the date.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – The date**

That night, at exactly a quarter to seven, Troy rang the bell at the Montezes' house. Sharpay swung the door open and grinned.

"She'll be right down," she announced. "Make yourself at home, and be prepared to be amazed."

Troy sat down on the couch and tapped his foot impatiently, while he waited for Gabriella. Someone cleared her throat and Troy looked up. His mouth dropped open. Gabriella stood before him, looking absolutely amazing in a pair of skinny black jeans and a red tank top.

"Hi," she said, smiling shyly.

"Er..umm..err.. Troy stammered. Finally, he blurted out, "You look really _hot_!"

"Thanks," Gabriella smiled. "Um…shall we go?"

"Er…uh…yeah," Troy nodded. "Let's go."

The two arrived at the restaurant within a few minutes. Gabriella, not having gone there before, had no idea what to order. 

"What's good here?" she asked Troy.

"Basically, everything," he replied. "Do you want me to order for you?"

"Yeah, thanks," she replied.

"No problem," Troy smiled. "Do you like soup?"

"Yeah," Gabriella answered. "Why?"

"The Tom Yam Soup here is to die for," Troy said. He gestured towards the waited to come and take the order. "We'll have one Tom Yam Soup and those fried seafood plate."

"Your order will be here in a few minutes," the waited said and left.

"So," Gabriella said, breaking the awkward silence between them. "Do you come here a lot?"

"A couple of times with my parents," Troy replied.

"Oh," Gabriella said, not knowing what else to say.

"So, what do you like to do?" Troy asked.

"Read," she replied and then she hesitated before saying, "And, I like to sing."

"Really?" Troy asked. "I had no idea."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Troy," Gabriella smiled.

"You think you know me?" he asked.

"All you do is play basketball," she said. 

"That's not all I do," Troy said. "I do many things."

"Like?" Gabriella asked.

"No one knows this about me, so don't tell anyone this, alright?" Troy told Gabriella and she nodded. "I want to become a journalist."

"But, that is so unlike a basketball player," she said in surprise.

"Maybe, I'm not the person that everyone knows," Troy shrugged.

"I'd like to get to know that person," Gabriella smiled. "Tell me more about him."

"Well," Troy began. "He loves to write stuff and he's the one who writes the sports column in the school newspaper. He likes to play basketball as a sport; not as a competition. He also thinks you're really beautiful and he's secretly very glad that he's on a date with you."

Gabriella blushed. "He sounds like a really sweet guy," she smiled.

"He is," Troy grinned. "And, he wants to know more about you. The one that likes to sing."

"There's not much to know about her," Gabriella said as the waiter came with a steaming bowl of soup for them. "Thanks," she said to the waiter.

"Would you like anything else?" the waited asked.

"No, we're good," Troy said. He turned to Gabriella. "You're being modest. There must be a lot to know about you."

"Okay. I'll tell you something," Gabriella said. "I play the guitar and I like to sing. And, I'm really glad I decided to go out on a date again."

Troy smiled. "Even if it's with me?" he asked.

"Even if it's with you," Gabriella smiled.

Then, the two ate in a comfortable silence. It was not awkward like before. After dinner, Troy drove Gabriella home, again. She was wearing his coat because she had gotten cold. They could see eight faces looking out of the window at them. Troy glared at them. Then, he smiled at Gabriella. Brown eyes met blue. 

Then, Troy leant down and kissed Gabriella softly on the lips. Sparks flew. It took everything inside Gabriella for her to not wrap her arms around Troy's neck. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair so badly, but, she could not. Troy did not like her that way and she did not want to ruin what was the beginning of a new friendship for them. Troy pulled apart after about two seconds and looked at her. He put a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I think I'm starting to like you, Ella," Troy whispered.

"I think I'm starting to like you, too, Troy," Gabriella smiled.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Troy said.

"Bye," Gabriella smiled.

Troy turned and walked away with a smile on his face. Gabriella watched him. She hugged Troy's jacket to her shoulders and breathed in deeply. The jacket smelled of Troy and she liked it. Just as Troy was about to get into his car…

"Troy!" Gabriella called.

Troy spun around. "Yeah?" he asked.

"They'll be staying here tonight," she said gesturing to the eight faces pressed against the window. "Want to join us?"

"Yeah, sure," Troy said as he walked back to Gabriella. "Besides, I can't leave my jacket alone with you, can I?"

Gabriella giggled and opened the front door. She walked in and let Troy come in. Troy and Gabriella had to answer questions about the date all night. They answered them, pretending that they were both bored out of their minds, but, they were actually, feeling very happy.

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**A/N Thanks for the reviews!! Love you guys. Umwah! Review!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 - Confessions**

No one knew how it had happened. The weekend was over. Mrs. Montez had come home from her business trip. The gang had gone home quiet early on Saturday morning. Gabriella had spent the rest of the weekend alone and had been spending it thinking about Troy. She did not want to believe it, but, she knew that she had fallen for Troy; hard.

On Monday morning, Gabriella walked downstairs to breakfast, with a smile on her face. Mrs. Montez was there already. She gave Gabriella a bowl or cereal and Gabriella started eating with a smile on her face.

"So, what did you do during the weekend?" Mrs. Montez asked.

"Everyone came over on Friday," Gabriella replied. "We played truth or dare."

"What did you have to do?" her mother asked, with a smile on her face.

Gabriella was always honest with her mother. She shared all her secrets with her; so, she had no problem in telling her mother about the kiss.

"I had to kiss Troy," Gabriella said.

"And, did you?" Mrs. Montez asked.

"Yeah," Gabriella nodded. "And, then Troy had to go out on a date with me."

"Did you have fun?" Mrs. Montez asked and Gabriella nodded, blushing slightly. "But, I thought you hated him."

"Lucas Scott tried to kiss me on Friday and Troy stopped him," Gabriella said. "Then, he drove me home and we went to the movies, but, the movie reminded me of the rape, so Troy took me out of the theater again. And, then we came home and played truth or dare. And, I liked kissing him."

"Wait, does that mean Troy knows about what happened?" Mrs. Montez asked.

"Yeah," Gabriella answered. "I told him when he brought me home from school that day. He was really sweet, mom. He may not know it, but, he's really helping me get over the rape. And, it helps that he is so cute."

"That's great, Gabi," Mrs. Montez smiled.

"And, it's like when I try to concentrate on something," Gabriella continued without paying any attention to her mother. "My mind goes to Troy. It turned out that he liked me, mom. And, he hated me because he thought I chose Dylan over him. and, when I told him that I hated him because I thought that Dylan raped me because he wanted him to, he told me that he might've hated me, but, he never wanted to hurt me. I'm thinking about him all the time, mom. What does it mean? Is something wrong? Did something happen?"

"Gabi, calm down," Mrs. Montez laughed. "Yes, something happened. You fell in love."

"Oh," Gabriella turned red and then she whispered, "I've fallen in love with, Troy Bolton."

"Yes, sweetie," Mrs. Montez smiled.

"Oh, no," Gabriella sighed. "I've fallen in love with Troy, mom. Why Troy? Why not anyone else? Why him?"

"What's wrong with falling in love with him?" Mrs. Montez asked. "I'm glad you did, Gabi. You're learning what love really is."

"It's wrong, because, he's Troy Bolton, mom," Gabriella said. "I'll see you after school, mom. Bye."

"Bye," Mrs. Montez called as Gabriella rushed out of the house.

That day at school, everyone was staring at Sharpay, even, the teachers. It was because she was wearing all blue. It seemed like Chad had called her and reminded her to wear blue. Sharpay walked down the halls ignoring the looks she was receiving, not caring least about that fact. Troy was unusually quiet. He kept stealing glances at Gabriella – who, he thought, looked extremely pretty in her jeans and white top.

Just at the end of school, Troy was standing next to Chad's locker holding a basketball in his hands. Zeke and Jason were also there. He was staring at Gabriella who was across the hall. He saw some guy from their English class walk over to her and start talking. 

"Troy, what are you thinking of doing to her?" Chad asked.

Troy did not answer. From where he was standing, he could see that the guy was flirting. Jealousy grew inside him. he frowned. That was it. it was time to make it clear to everyone that Gabriella Montez was his.

"Troy, what are you going to do?" Zeke asked.

"I'm going to show everyone exactly how I am feeling," Troy whispered, still glaring at the guy. "I'm going to get what I want. And, I'm going to get it right, now."

Chad understood what Troy was talking about. He took the ball as Troy thrust it into his hands.

"What's he going to do?" Jason asked as Troy strode towards Gabriella with a determined look on his face.

"What we've been wanting him to do," Chad answered, grinning and Zeke and Jason looked at him in confused.

"Gabriella?" Troy asked as soon as he got to her.

"Yeah?" Gabriella looked at him. "Do you want something?"

"Yeah," Troy said. "This!"

Then, Troy grabbed the back of Gabriella's neck and kissed her gently, but, firmly on her lips. Jason, Zeke and Chad cheered and wolf-whistled.

"What are you doing, man?" the guy from the English class, who's name was Paul asked. "I was talking to her."

"You know what, dude?" Troy said as Gabriella looked at him with her mouth dropped open. Everyone in the hallway could hear him as they were all quiet. After all, he was Troy Bolton. "I don't care, because, there's a hole in my chest, where my heart used to be. Someone has stolen it, and, I don't think she knows or freaking cares that she did."

"You mean?" Paul asked pointing to Gabriella.

"That's right, dude," Troy said, raising his voice. "I've fallen in love with Gabriella Montez and I want her to know it."

"She knows it, now, Troy," Gabriella smiled. "And, she wants to tell her that, she has fallen in love with you, too."

"Are you serious?" Troy asked as Paul walked away.

"I'm serious, Troy," Gabriella smiled. "I know it's all of a sudden, but, I can't help the feelings I've gotten for you. I…uh…I love you."

"I love you, too, Ella," Troy smiled. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"I'd love to," Gabriella said. "But, can we take it slowly?"

"We'd go as slow as you want to, Gabi," Troy smiled.

"Thanks," Gabriella smiled.

Together, they walked out of the school hand in hand, smiling. Love stories are both old and new. Troy and Gabriella's love story was still young. There were sparks and everyone in the entire school knew that there would always be sparks between the two of them. Nothing could ever go between them.

**A/N Last chapter. Should I do a sequel? But, I've no ideas for one. And, I'm not that good at sequels, but, if you want me to write one, I'll try and write. But, give me ideas! Anyways, review to this chapter, for the last time! lol. Love you guys!**


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